GENESIS G70 Shooting Brake

By Bill McCarthy

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There was a time, long, long ago, when if you described an estate car as slick and chic, you would hear the flapping of white coats. Traditionally seen as barges on wheels, sorry Volvo, they were highly practical and extremely capable – but good looking? I don’t think so.

Designers have upped their game and in the case of GENESIS have produced one of the most stylish estates, or Shooting Brake if you like, on the road.
The designers have cleverly targeted their audience with trim and styles with more appeal to younger buyers and the Shooting Brake, is a prime example.

The term is supposedly from turn-of-the last century England, where it referred to a car used to transport a hunting party and its gear. “Brake” refers to a chassis that was used to break in horses.

It eventually just came to refer to early wagons in general. 

This vehicle is a premium and elegant model designed to take on German market leaders and just like them, has a significant price tag that can be quickly increased by a host of optional features. On this case over £11k worth.

It features a sleek, coupe-like profile accentuated by the signature crest grille quad lamps and the well-known Bentley-inspired winged bonnet badge.

This variant adds a dark-chrome finish for the window surrounds and front grille, with a dark tinted chrome mesh insert. It also features 19-inch alloys with red Brembo brake calipers. The rear of the vehicle is designed with a single-piece glass hatch that accommodates part of the light cluster and a “floating type” integral spoiler. 

The vehicle is a premium model with state-of-the-art technologies, quality materials, and a finish that creates a fighter jet cockpit appearance. The car is centred on a 10.5-inch HD infotainment screen and 12.3-inch TFT instrument cluster that controls connectivity and navigation functions. It also operates the impressive sound system. The Genesis Connect system offers voice recognition, live updates, and smartphone integration.

The turbo-charged two-litre turbo petrol engine mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox drives the rear wheels and that delivers rapid, but not stunning pace, and uninspiring fuel economy, hovering around the 30mpg mark. 

However the interior is spacious and luxurious, with a range of high-end features. Notably, it is equipped with artificial intelligence that learns about the driver and builds on existing state-of-the-art advanced autonomous driver assistance technology. 

One of the standout features is the pair of main binnacle dials that transform into cameras to show the road ahead when the indicator is activated. This feature contributes to pedestrian and cyclist safety.

Given the slick silhouette of the vehicle, boot space is not huge, with 465 litres of space, but this expands to a 1,535-litre load area with 40:20:40 split-fold rear seats offering significant stowage space.

On the road, the 245bhp engine delivers smooth acceleration and powers to 60mph in under seven seconds.

 It is also a fine motorway cruiser, just whispering along at higher speeds, with plenty of torque in reserve for acceleration and overtaking.

Drive modes include Eco, Comfort, Sport, and Sport+ modes allow the driver to choose between fuel economy and sporty driving by adjusting steering, suspension, throttle, and transmission response.

The ride and handling are excellent, with tuned suspension and electronically controlled adaptive dampers that reduce the impact of potholes while providing agile handling for such a large car. Additionally, a mechanical limited slip differential improves handling and traction on winding roads.

Factfile

Genesis G70 Sport Shooting Brake 2.0T

Price: £41,995

Mechanical: 247PS, 1,998cc, four-cylinder petrol engine driving rear wheels via eight-speed automatic transmission

Max Speed: 146mph

0-62mph: 6.9 seconds

Combined MPG: 30.2

C02 emissions: 200g/km

Bik rating: 37%

Warranty: Five years/unlimited miles